Police to target distracted drivers across Midwest beginning July 20

FILE - In this Dec. 19, 2013 file photo, a motorist talks on a cell phone while driving on an expressway in Chicago. A sophisticated, real-world study confirms that dialing, texting or reaching for a cellphone while driving raises the risk of a crash or near-miss, especially for younger drivers. But the research also states that simply talking on the phone did not prove dangerous, as it has in other studies. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

A cell phone is held in a vehicle in Berlin, Vt., Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010. Vermont lawmakers hoping to crack down on driver distractions heard the opposing views Wednesday at a hearing aimed at determining whether to ban or restrict the use of cell phones by drivers, either by including it in pending legislation that would ban behind-the-wheel texting or by passing a separate bill. A measure that would establish a $100 fine for texting while driving has been approved in the state Senate and is awaiting action in the House.(AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

FYI on distracted driving

Did you know:

An estimated 421,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver, a 9 percent increase from estimated 387,000 people injured in 2011

• 10 percent of all drivers under age 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash

• Drivers in their 20s make up 27 percent of distracted drivers in fatal crashes

• Number of people killed in distraction-affected crashes decreased slightly from 3,360 in 2011 to 3,328 in 2012.

–– statistics from distraction.gov

Michigan drivers will want to keep their hands off their mobile devices this week as Michigan State Police step up enforcement targeting distracted driving starting Sunday, July 20.

Distractions are considered anything that keeps a driver from focusing on the road and traffic.

Michigan State Police troopers are part of a six-state effort to go after distracted drivers, including Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The stepped-up enforcement is scheduled to run through July 26.

Jim Santilli, executive director of Auburn Hills-based Traffic Improvement Association of Michigan said he believes statistics on distracted driving are much lower than the actual number of crashes.

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“That’s because it’s often self-reported or reported by a witness,” he said, and people aren’t always admitting they were distracted.

Michigan State Police Director Kriste Kibbey Etue stated that the agencies also will be on the lookout for seat belt use and speeding as well as aggressive and impaired driving.

In Oakland County between January, 2011 and December, 2013, one passenger died in 2,525 distracted driving crashes, according to statistics provided by the Traffic Improvement Association.

Among those crashes, 51 people suffered incapacitating injuries.

The majority of those crashes –– 66 percent –– were drivers rear-ending another vehicle, and alcohol was not a factor in 99 percent of the incidents. The most crashes, 11 percent, occurred at 5 p.m., according to the statistics.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has created a website specifically devoted to distracted driving.

In Michigan, cell phone usage is listed as a possible cause in 746 vehicle crashes in the state in 2012, with 261 resulting in injury and eight ending in death, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning reports.

Santilli said distracted driving is on the rise because cell phones have changed.

“It used to be you could only make and receive calls,” he said.

“Now there is texting, Twitter, Facebook — all increasing potential for distraction,” he said.

The Traffic Improvement Association is promoting the use of hands-free devices in cars.

“The goal is to keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel,” he said.

Banning cell phones doesn’t always work, he said. “People will still try to engage in that risky behavior.”